


Rebirth

by disasteryffic



Category: Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z
Genre: Alternate Timelines, F/M, Mirai Trunks deserved better than what he got, One Big Happy Family, Post-Apocalypse, Teenage Dorks, parental Bulma, rejection of canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-13
Updated: 2017-11-14
Packaged: 2019-01-16 16:56:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12346800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disasteryffic/pseuds/disasteryffic
Summary: After returning to his own timeline, Trunks begins to search for survivors. His mom believes it's in the best interest of the world to try and rebuild the Z Fighters. As long as the Earth exists, it will be in danger, and it's their duties as the experienced survivors to train the newbies.





	1. One.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this fic is definitely deviating from canon defined in Super. I just got so upset when I found out they killed off Bulma that I wanted to create my own happy ending for Future Trunks. That turned into silly, late night headcanons with a friend, and then into writing some drabbles to make me happy.
> 
> It's a two-part self-indulgence: I wanted to give my precious son Trunks a bright future and I wanted my OC, Eiode, to be developed. 
> 
> I know how often I run away from fics with an OC paired with a character, so I'm a total hypocrite for this, but also no one has to read it? 
> 
> That's my heads up/note before you start this story. I'm going away from Super's established universe. I'm adding in a bunch of original characters. I'm giving Trunks a chance to be a son, an awkward teen, the precious cinnamon roll I've always seen him as.

There were survivors, of that Bulma had been sure, but finding them had proven to be more difficult than Trunks had anticipated. So far, they'd found a handful of teenagers that managed to hide away, but not adults. No children. Just three boys under 17.

It had also been Bulma's idea for Trunks to start training them, to build a new generation of Z Fighters, in case Earth ever found itself in trouble again. And Earth always found itself in trouble. While he saw the practical application of it, Trunks wasn't a huge fan. It all reminded him too much of Gohan, of what he had lost in his timeline. The boys were doing well which he expected from the scrappy street urchins, but he needed a break. Which was why he was flying above the desolate wasteland that was once his home.

He crossed the border from destroyed city to ravaged woods and tried not to look down. Until he flew out far enough, it would all just be remains. He suddenly felt like he couldn't fly fast enough.

When healthy tree tops started popping up to greet him, he felt his muscles relax and he slowed his pace considerably. Out here he was hiding from the near apocalypse. Out here everyone could still be alive. Denial felt good. Almost as good as pretending his time in the past, alternate timeline could have lasted forever.

But then he felt something -- no, someone. A flare of power. Not anything substantial, but enough to pique his interest. Who would have made it this far out? He honed in on the power and dropped down to the ground a little ways away.

There. A person walking through the trees with a mop of messy black hair and a threadbare backpack. He took a step forward and cringed at the crunch of twigs under his feet. The person turned and to his utter surprise, charged.

All the boys had ran until cornered.

Trunks was especially impressed when the girl --as he could now see she was in fact, female -- produced a hatchet and swung at his head. He jumped back and avoided the attack easily, but she didn't stop swinging.

"Wait!" He held up his hands as he kept falling back, not eager to take a hit from her (hopefully blunt) hatchet.

"For what?!" She grunted as she continued to miss her target and he watched as rage filled her face. "You to kill me?! I'm not going down without a fight."

Well, that was clear enough from her current behavior. But he was tired of running and acted a little rashly. He caught her wrists and stared directly into her eyes. To her credit, she hardly flinched.

"I'm not going to kill you. I stopped the androids. My mom and I are trying to round up survivors."

"Why should I believe that?" Despite her protests, she didn't struggle against him, which was nice.

"Because I could have when you first swung that at me?" He nodded toward her impromptu weapon.

"That's fair." He felt her muscles relax in his grip. "So, survivors?"

"Yeah, just a few though."

"Do you have running water?"

"...Yes..." He raised an eyebrow at her.

"Then I'm coming. Even if it is all a lie and you're going to kill me." She smirked up at him. "So you can let me go now."

His cheeks felt suspiciously warm as he released her wrists. She kept her eyes on him as she tucked he hatched between herself and her backpack.

"I'm Trunks."

"Eiode." She paused for a moment, as if she was waiting for him to respond. When he didn't, she spoke again. "So, where's this survivors' camp?"

"Oh." He didn't have a vehicle with him. Not a single capsule in his pocket, despite his mother's insistence before he left. "We have to fly."

"Okay."

"I don't have a vehicle."

"Okay." She shrugged. "Piggyback? Bridal style?"

"What?"

"You're going to carry me, right?"

"Yeah." He just wasn't expecting her to come to that conclusion on her own. The boys had been floored when they saw him fly the first time. "What do you prefer?"

She paused for a moment, tugged on her backpack straps, then sighed and pulled it off. She hugged it to her stomach.

"Bridal please. I don't think my backpack can take high speeds anymore."

"Okay."

He wasn't sure if he felt or sounded more awkward. If Eiode noticed, she was nice enough to say nothing. So, gently as he could, he scooped her up in his arms.

"Ready?"

"Let's go. I'm really looking forward to a warm bath."

Trunks couldn't hold back a grin and jumped into the sky. Eiode curled into him at first, against the wind he assumed. But after a few minutes when he looked down, she was smiling and taking in the view.

"My dad could fly." She yelled when she spoke, looking up at him. At least she was aware it would be hard to communicate at high speeds. But other than her raised volume her voice was flat. No emotion.

Huh. That's how he used to sound when he talked about his dad.

"I never learned how. He didn't have time to teach me." This sounded a little sad.

"I can teach you." Soon, if the sparring lessons with the boys continued doing well. "It's not the hardest thing to learn."

She nodded, the action lifting his jacket up and ruffling his shirt a bit. It was mildly annoying, but they would be back soon.

"My mom is going to be excited I found you." He looked down to watch her expression as he spoke. "You're the first girl."

"Does your mom have clean clothes that will fit me?"

"Probably." He held back a laugh. Eiode was proving herself to be nothing if not forward: running water? Clean clothes? Then she seemed to be game.

"Is there like, a line or anything for the bath? Because I want in on that as soon as possible."

"I can almost guarantee you can get in a bath as soon as we're back."

"Excellent."

They finished their flight in silence. When they landed he was careful setting her down, making sure nothing had cramped up on her during their journey. Once he knew she was holding her weight safely, he led the way to their home.

Bulma had decided to start repurposing an abandoned hotel when she came up with the "gather the survivors" plan. It was a good plan -- the luxury hotel had plenty of rooms, a courtyard (that would soon be equipped with its own gravity chamber), pool, hot tub, and a conference room they were converting into a library. There was also talk of moving the entirety of Bulma's recovered lab over, but that would take a bit of time and labor they didn't quite have yet. Trunks loved it, though. He was also pretty fond of Eiode's expression upon walking in.

The lobby had been cleaned up nicely, though it had taken Trunks and the boys the better half of a week to do. Now it still had a lobby-ish feel, but was much more homey. They'd set up a TV and a gaming system Bulma repaired. There was talk of going scavenging for movies and that sort of equipment, but Trunks wasn't directly involved. At the moment, though, it was surprisingly empty.

"This is plush." There was clear admiration in her voice and she turned to him with a smile. "Do I get my own room?"

"There are plenty of empty ones."

"Excellent."

He was starting to really like the way she said that. It was so crisp and excited, almost contagious.

"Here, I'll show you."

They weren't 100% certain of the elevators yet, so Trunks led Eiode over to the stairs.

"Does it matter what floor I'm on?"

"Not really. The boys are all on the fifth floor."

"The boys?" She smirked at him. "The other survivors?"

"Yeah. My mom and I just call them that; it's easier to refer to them as a group."

"Ah. What about you and your mom?"

"My mom is on the second floor. I'm on the tenth."

"How many floors are there?"

"Fourteen."

"Is there a fancy suite on the fourteenth?"

"Yeah, but we don't have the elevator fixed yet, so that means climbing up and down fourteen flights of stairs every day."

"No one else wants it?"

"No..."

"Then I do." She started jogging up the stairs, a wide smile on her face.

He was going to protest, to tell her she probably wouldn't want to do that after a few days, but it was her choice. Instead he watched as her backpack bounced on her shoulders as she ran. He sped up to her pace and followed along beside her.

"We had to break the doorknobs on the rooms." He waited for the inevitable confusion to cross her face. "It was quicker and easier than getting the key cards working."

In truth, Bulma had been the lock breaker. When he asked why, she'd insisted that it was the easiest way, though he assumed she was just having a rough day. But, he wasn't going to throw his mom under the bus like that.

Eiode said nothing in return, but he could hear her breathing pattern change as they ascended more stairs. He was going to ask if her pride was preventing her from just walking or if she was THAT excited at the prospect of a bath.

They finally hit the top floor and Eiode pushed through the door with renewed vigor. She sprinted down the hall to the last of four doors (suites took up a lot of room) and let herself inside.

Trunks watched and did his best not to judge as she entered the room, immediately kicked off her worn boots, and dug her toes into the carpet. Her backpack slid off her shoulders and let out a moan that was nearly pornographic and he barely stifled a chuckle. It's adorable.

"Look at that bathtub." Eiode bolted for the bathroom and immediately turned on the tap.

While the water ran, Eiode started ransacking the bathroom, eventually finding soap, shampoo, conditioner and bubble bath.

"That's old," Trunks said just before Eiode dumped the entire content of the bubble bath into the tub.

"I don't think this stuff goes bad," she insisted without any skepticism in her voice. Then she proceeded to pour the pink liquid into the tub.

As soon as the first bubbles formed, Eiode's face lit up with the most genuine smile Trunks had ever seen. She turned to him, mouth open in a wide smile. She plunged both hands into the sudsy water, laughing.

"I can hardly remember the last time I had a bubble bath. I was like, four."

A sadness settled over her features for a few moments before she shook her head and replaced her smile.

"Well, unless you want to get naked and jump in with me, you better leave." She curled her fingers around the edge of her shirt and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Okay." He half smiled and started toward the door. "I'll see if Mom has any clothes you can borrow."

It didn't occur to him until he was halfway down the stairs that Eiode's invitation was sincere. Or at least, it could have been.

Did he want it to be?

He had to shake this off, at least for now.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trunks reports Eiode's arrival to his mom and finds himself in yet another unfamiliar situation with the newest addition to the Z Fighters

Bulma was at her lab in their old home. That's how Trunks thought of it, anyway. The old home. It made it easier to think of the hotel as something permanent.

As usual, Bulma was sitting at her desk working on some new (or more than likely, repairing some old) invention. Trunks walked over to her and was immediately greeted with a smile.

"Whatcha got for me?" She poked him in the stomach with the wrench she held. "You look like something exciting happened."

Trunks took the wrench from her and sat down on the free stool at her side. Bulma pushed the mess of parts over to him to fidget with.

"Found another survivor. Out in the woods."

"Oh?"

"Her name is Eiode."

"Her?" Bulma leaned forward, resting her cheek on her greasy hand. "Interesting."

He wasn't a fan of the way his mom said "interesting." It implied she wanted more details, details he wasn't sure about.

"She said her dad could fly."

Bulma sat up a little straighter. There were only so many humans who could fly.

"Did she say what his name was?"

"No."

"Did you ask?"

"We were in the air." He sighed and tapped the wrench against the hunk of metal in front of him. "Anyway I need to bring her some clean clothes. Do you have anything she can borrow?"

"Yeah I have a few old things. Maybe it's time to go on a raid. See if there's a place with clothes the Androids didn't destroy."

"I don't really like calling it a raid."

"It makes the boys happy."

Bulma stood and wiped her hands on her jumpsuit. She motioned for Trunks to follow her and led him to the part of the lab where she stored excess goods. After digging for a few moments she heaved a suitcase up into his arms.

"There might be something in there. Or at least something she can work with." She patted the suitcase. "Assuming she's shaped anything like I was. Is she?"

"I guess..." Trunks held onto his cargo and didn't meet his mom's persistent stare. He wasn't going to play into her hand.

"So you didn't look? Didn't notice the weight of the girl you were flying around?"

"Mom..." He kissed the top of her head. "Don't push it, okay?"

"Okay, Trunks. I was just thinking it would be nice for you to have a companion."

He shook his head and gave her a quick "I love you" before flying back toward his current home. He wasn't sure how long of a bath Eiode would take and wanted her to have something clean to change into. The hotel wasn't far from the lab, so hopefully he would make it in time. He decided to bypass the doors and flew straight up to one of the suite windows, which was thankfully easy for him to open while balancing the suitcase full of mystery clothing. With a little grace he was able to get through the curtains without incident.

"I was wondering who would come in via window."

Trunks turned, suitcase forgotten, and stared at Eiode. She was wrapped in a towel, still dripping a bit, but her hair that had seemed so wild and alive before was tamed into long, heavy curls that fell well passed her shoulders. She had tan likes on her arms from running around in a t shirt in the wilderness for years, on her shins from her boots, and he could even make out the ones left by her shorts. That were rather high up her thighs. Her towel was not large. And it fit tightly around her hips that were deceptively wide.

Trunks decided that he liked her hips. In that towel. Aesthetically. And her hair looked pretty now that it wasn't a tangled mess.

"Please say that's full of clothes for me." Eiode walked over, apparently not at all self conscious of her near nudity and nudged the suitcase with her toe.

"Yeah, Mom said you should be able to find something." He lifted the case, bending over slightly and getting an up close view of her legs. Which were toned and tan and nice to look at.

Once the case was on the large, plush bed, Eiode flipped it open and started digging through the various brightly colored fabric.

"Ooh I love these." She pulled out a pair of jeans that looked like they would be tight on her.

Then she put them on. She wiggled the pants over her hips, towel still on, without revealing an extra inch of skin. It was fascinating to watch.

"What do you think?" Eiode held up her towel, showing off the snug way the jeans hugged her hips, waist, and butt.

"Good," he said, probably a little too fast. His cheeks were uncomfortably warm and he felt the sudden need to look at ANYTHING but her. 

“I don't think your mom has a bra in my size…”

Now his cheeks for definitely visibly red and he couldn't look at her, even if he wanted to. He had time travelled, stopped the androids, done so many things, but he had never been in a conversation that involved breasts before. And this one was vaguely about his MOTHER’S.

“Oh, this might work.”

In seconds, Eiode shimmied a tube top under her towel, discarded the towel, then folded the garment in half while on her body. She jumped up and down, staring down at her breasts the entire time. 

“What do you think? It looks like it'll stay put to me. It's tight enough.” She looked up at him and he caught just a hint of deviousness in her expression. 

“I don't know. I've never had breasts.” He smiled a little, hoping she would enjoy the playful comment. Hoping it came across as intended. 

“Those look pretty cumbersome to me.” She nodded toward his chest, then with a few tentative steps, closed the gap between them. In a shy looking movement, she held out a hand and caught his eye. “May I?”

Eiode wanted to touch him. Well, his chest. His muscles. She was almost certainly making a move on him. So he did his best to contain a blush and nod. And then quickly realized he could not look at her when she touched him. Her fingers traced his chest and stomach in an achingly gently manner. At first, it was slow and random, then he started to recognize patterns, though he wasn't sure what they were. 

“Sorry I just…” Eiode backed up a few steps and laughed a little. “You're really attractive. And you're the first guy I've been around in forever.”

Trunks wasn't sure how to take her statement. Yes, it was a compliment, at first, but then it could be that she was just lonely? Was he only attractive because he was all she had? And now she was looking at him, waiting for some response. And he had no idea what to say. 

“I liked the way you looked in that towel.”

Wow. That was NOT what he had meant to say. A wide smile bloomed across Eiode’s face and Trunks was certain his face was actually on fire. He wanted to tell her he was sorry, that that wasn't the compliment he wanted to give her. That he wasn't sure what to do here. That he hadn't been in this position and wasn't sure what to do or say. That he hadn't even kissed someone before. 

But her smile had knocked all sense out of him and he didn't want her to know those things. Not yet. Shouldn't the same have been true for her though? They were both children of the war and who knew how long she had been in the woods for? Gohan fought the androids for 13 years and….

And her fingers were on his shirt, holding onto it tightly. There was some emotion he couldn't identify playing across her face and then…

“I should probably finish getting dressed.”

Was verbal whiplash a thing? Because seconds ago he was sure that Eiode was about to pull his shirt off and now she was turned back to the suitcase, finding additional clothes to wear. He let out a ragged breath as she pulled a blue tank top over her head. 

“Mom will be back soon and the boys should be by then too. We usually cook and eat dinner together.”

“Okay. I'll see you downstairs then.” 

He nodded and closed the door behind him as he left. There were so many questions floating around his head and he had no idea who to ask.


	3. Three.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the inconsistent updates... and that this one is so short.
> 
> I'll try to do better because I do love this fic and I love that people are actually reading it!

Eiode and Bulma had been locked up together for hours. Trunks had noticed him mom react strangely to her presence, but dinner had passed uneventfully. Well, the boys had been obnoxiously excited about Eiode’s presence, but he hadn't expected anything less. 

Now though, with his mom being mysterious, he has his concerns. They were accessible enough, sitting in the makeshift library, but he felt rude intruding. So he sat outside, in one of the hotel armchairs, a nagging feeling in the back of his skull. 

“Were you waiting for us?” His mom grinned at him, clearly trying to embarrass him. It worked. 

“The boys were too tired to train at all tonight. I didn't want Eiode to think we just ditched her.”

“She’ll probably be in there awhile.” Bulma stood straighter and folded her arms. “Did you want to tell me anything before I go to bed?”

He shrugged and broke eye contact. Obviously there was a lot to say, to ask, but he wasn't sure how yet. 

“It's sort of a perfect circle,” Bulma said, probably trying to sound mysterious. “She's a good addition to our little group here. I hope she lives up to her parentage.”

“You know who her dad was, then?” 

“I knew the second I saw her; she looks just like him.”

His mind flashed to Eiode in a towel and knew that she couldn't look just like her dad. Apparently it showed on his face because Bulma chuckled. 

“She's pretty. And she's the first girl you've seen in a long time,” she put extra emphasis on the long. “Just be careful.”

Bulma gave him a hug and kiss goodnight before disappear to go to her own room. Trunks fell back into the chair and waited. And waited. And waited. Until he decided it was probably a good idea to check on her. 

Eiode sat at the long table in the library, a book open in front of her, and tracks of tears staining her cheeks. Her hand was covering her mouth and nose and when Trunks entered she tried in vain to wipe her face. 

“I'm sorry it's just… I never knew my dad. Not really. I was really little when he died. Or when I think he died.”

The book on the table was a photo album. One he recognized once he dared to step forward. And now that he was looking at it with Eiode there, it was obvious who her father was. 

Yamcha.

His mom’s exboyfriend was the father of the girl who had just fallen into his life. He wasn't sure if it was a perfect circle or cruel irony. Yes, her father was dead, and now his mom wanted Eiode to fill Yamcha’s place as one of the new Z fighters. 

Her hair was nearly dry now, but the curls remained loose and untangled. She was almost unrecognizable from the person he met in the woods just a few hours before. And he was staring. She was waiting for him to say something and he was staring at her and thinking about how much better she looked after a bath. 

“My dad died too.” He looked away from her. “I went back in time and he didn't seem to like me. He thought I was an abomination.”

Eiode’s jaw went visibly slack and it was her turn to be silent. Slowly, she stood, using the table to push herself to her feet. She started toward the door, but stopped briefly in front of him. 

“I want to hear everything,” she insisted, her voice weary, “but I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed. Will you wake me up for training tomorrow?”

“Yes, of course.”

Her hand extended toward him for a moment, but she seemed to think better of it and pulled back. She did offer him a small smile before she disappeared down the hallway. He had no idea how he got himself into this mess.


End file.
